You kindly requested me to write to you "from time to time, but especially when I meet with something very interesting, during my travels." Well, I think I have met with something very interesting indeed; and what is more, the interesting object I am speaking of was hitherto unnoticed by any English pen. For, strange to say, whilst the savans of France are spending a great deal of ingenuity, in describing and deciperhing the late Marseillian discovery; whilst the Prussian Government sent a deputation hither to obtain a facsimile of the discovered object; no English traveller-literary, scientific or lay-ever took the least notice of it, or said a single word about it. I am the first --and am a foreigner too-who notice it in the English language. I can fancy you exclaiming: "What is it all. about?" I shall keep you in suspense no more. I will begin at the beginning.

About two years ago, or more accurately, in the month of June, 1845, whilst a bricklayer was pulling down a dilapidated old house-which was situated at no great distance from the site of the ancient temple of Diana, which in days of yore graced, or rather disgraced, this city, he discovered at its foundation a large square stone, well

polished, and covered with inscriptions in characters unknown to him. Whilst proceeding with his digging a little farther, he perceived another stone of similar quality and polish, and inscribed with the same sort of letters. The latter, however, was smaller than the former, and also of a different shape, being triangular. The discoverer seemed much struck with the fruit of his labour: he put his shoulder to the work, and brought his two treasures in close communion, and soon observed that the last was a fragment of the first. The Frenchman, though totally ignorant of the purport of the tables of stone he hit upon, was evidently much pleased and interested with his acquisition. He managed, with much labour and trouble-for the dimensions of the stones are considerable, the largest forming a right angle, measures forty-five feet in length, thirty-five feet in width, and ten feet in thickness; the smaller forming a triangle, measures thirty-five feet at the base and thirty-five feet in height to remove these precious relics, from the midst of their surrounding rubbish, to his own abode, where he entertained his friends and acquaintances with their exhibitions; always remarking, with that profanity peculiar to the French, that he discovered the first tables of stone which Moses broke, and the inscription was therefore that of the finger of God. This irreverent jest was received with corresponding merriment. Such polluted talk has, however, a peculiar charm for Frenchmen, and consequently drew a large number of them to inspect the stones and listen to the proprietor's disquisitions.

The inscriptions were of course dead letters to all the visitors. The extraordinary stones became the subject of general jocular conversation amongst the lower classes in

this place, and eventually reached the ears of M. Lautard, corresponding member of the Institution and Perpetual Secretary of the Royal Academy of Marseilles. This gentleman, with laudable and praiseworthy expedition, proceeded to view those much-talked of objects. He was extremely pleased with their appearance, and justly judged, though unacquainted with the import of the unknown tongue in which the inscriptions were made, that they were valuable discoveries, and worthy of a place in any of the national museums of any country. M. Lautard drew up a statement respecting those stones, laid it before the authorities of this city, endeavouring to induce them to purchase those monuments to grace their museum. The corporation of Marseilles, however, resembles almost all corporations ; they could not possibly see what pecuniary advantage the possession of two unmeaning blocks of stone would yield to the town of Marseilles. They hesitated, therefore, when the question of napoleons, francs, and sous was mooted.

I have just finished reading a French pamphlet, lately published, on the subject. The writer exclaims, with some degree of indignation: "Tandis que le conseil municipal délibérait sur le Sésame ou le Coton, l'inscription faillit passer à l'étranger, pour faire l'ornement de quelque Musée d'Allemagne, d'Angleterre ou de Russie."

M. Lautard, however, did not rest until he had his heart's desire accomplished; and after listening to many stupid reasons for leaving the stones where they were, he had the gratification to learn that the Mayor of Marseilles had positively consented to vote the princely sum of ten francs for their purchase; on which generosity a French Orientalist remarks: "Pour l'acquisition d'un monument qui en vaut peut-être cinquante mille." Let bygones be bygones; the stones are now deposited in the Marseillian

VOL. I.

I

museum, and are beyond all contradiction the most curious specimens of antiquity Marseilles, yea the whole of France, can boast of. M. Dassy, the keeper of the museum, seems to be conscious of their intrinsic merits and value, and therefore watches over them with an extraordinary care. He is exceedingly jealous of foreigners studying them. I experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining a couple of readings out of those ancient records. Three times did M. Dassy send me away, as I came, without a view of them. He actually went to the trouble, I was credibly informed, of covering them over with paintings; for it so happened, that there was an exhibition of the works of art in the museum. The stones, however, were left bare until I applied to see them, when they were immediately ordered to be shrouded; and I was told that it was impossible to disarrange the exhibition for my sake.

I succeeded, howbeit, in getting a strong note of recommendation from Mr. Turnbull, the British Consul, to the conservator of the museum, and I could not with any grace be refused a sight of them any longer. But I do not remember ever having more invidious eyes resting upon me, than during the last two days that I spent in the museum spelling over those tables of stone. Nevertheless I survived all the French tactics and jealousies, and with a sort of dogged obstinacy, I clung to the stones from morning till night, till I copied every letter, jot and tittle, both in the original Phoenician character, as well as in the modern Hebrew. It is true that I paid very dearly for this obstinacy, my eyes pain me exceedingly and my head is ready to split whilst I am penning this. But it is worth it; I should have been very sorry to have left Marseilles without accomplishing such a task, were it twenty times as difficult. I tell you candidly that I would

even submit to a fortnight's illness only to have been permitted to read those wonderful inscriptions.

I have already told you the exact dimensions of the stones, and I now proceed to tell the quality of the stones, and the nature of the inscriptions. The grain of the stone is very fine indeed; its colour, when polished, resembles much the stone used by lithographers. L'Abbé J. J. L. Bargès says in his pamphlet, just out, "M. le Conservateur du Musée m'a assuré qu'elle est de l'espèce de pierre dite pierre de cassis, dont on fait des pavés pour la ville de Marseille." The inscriptions are in the Phoenician character, and the execution of the engraving is perfectly beautiful. It is chaste, elegant, and perfect; and is altogether one of the most beautifully graphic monuments of antiquity. There can be no doubt that its date is that of the most prosperous of Phoenician greatness, when Tyre was at the zenith of her grandeur, and Zidon in the golden age of her colonization. As to the nature of the inscription, my mind is made up: it is a code of laws and regulations respecting the rites of sacrifices, and the rights of the priests; borrowed literally from the Book of Leviticus. You will bear in mind that the period of Israel's prosperity in the Land of Promise was also the prosperous epoch of Tyre and Zidon. The Hebrews and Phoenicians, moreover, lived always on the most amicable terms, and were not above interchanging religious rites and ordinances with each other a circumstance which proved the bane and destruction of God's chosen people, disastrous in its effects to them, even to the present day.

I purpose writing a little treatise on these valuable relics, in the shape of a letter to a mutual friend of ours, which I dare say you will have an opportunity of perusing. In mine to you, I confine myself to the preliminary in